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Underwater highlights of Gozo's Inland Sea

Malta’s rocky coast has a playground of tunnels, reef wrecks and caves to explore. Most of the best sites are accessible from the shore. Well known diving sites such as Inland Sea and the nearby Blue Hole and Azure Window are located in the region near Gozo.

Inland Sea is a peaceful, deep cave diving site featuring crystal clear blue water, and is home to larger fish, especially tuna, who live along the reef walls. Divers swim through the swim-throughs and rock formations and exit the Inland Sea through a 20 metre limestone sinkhole (the Blue Hole), which opens out into a vast rock pool, then walk back across the limestone surface.

At the other side of the Inland Sea is Azure Window, a slim bright blue arch opening onto the open sea. The sloping sides of the cave walls make for striking photos. The seabed is strewn with large limestone boulders of various ages which fall periodically from the Azure Window (so be careful) and it is interesting to compare the stages of their marine life colonisation. Divers and snorkelers can expect to encounter a range of marine life, including sea stars, eels, sponges and octopi, however the rock formations are the sites main attraction.

At Marfa Point in Valetta Harbour you’ll find the wreck of the HMS Maori, still in relatively good condition, and a 40m drop off.

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By Arthur Taylor for telegraph.co.uk
First Published 13 Feb 2009
Gozo is Malta's country cousin. It is smaller, cleaner, greener and quieter than the main island. Edward Lear, who was here in 1866, was moved to invent new words to describe the beauty o… Read more...